On the page http://www.thedctraveler.com/2007/10...day-897-steps/ it says "But if you have your heart set on walking it, walk-down tours are twice offered daily based on the availability of National Park Rangers, at 10:30 a.m. and Noon." Does this mean that you don't have the option of taking the stairs when going to the top?

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

That has to be a crowd control issue. It's a very popular place and you'll need get timed tickets (free) either at the WM the day of or ordered ahead online for a small fee. In the summer, lines for the daily tickets start queuing at least an hour before the ticket office opens.

Haven't done the walk down in the last few years but I recall it takes about an hour.

The only way up or down is by elevator. I'm almost certain that the walk-down tours were halted a couple years ago. (The website you found is 4 years old.)

However, there was an "emergency" walk-down tour for a couple dozen people a week or so ago when the elevator malfunctioned.

Many years ago I was allowed to walk up. The problem the Park Service had was the plaques on each landing that people were touching and damaging. Instead of putting the plaques under glass, they chose to require everyone to use the elevator.

I walked up on a hot, muggy day in 1964 when I was in DC as part of a trip to the Boy Scout Jamboree in Valley Forge. It was interesting seeing all the plaques.

When I wanted to take the elevator down, the operator did not allow us as he knew we hadn't taken it up (we were in uniform, o he could tell we hadn't)

At the bottom, I bought the biggest cup of soda I had ever seen.

You haven't been able to walk up the Washington Monument in years. There are 897 stairs and the fire department got sick of rescuing out of shape people. Only way to walk is to walk DOWN with a ranger at the designated times.